§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the financial cost of implementing in Scotland the European Court of Justice ruling on prescription charge exemption for men aged 60 years and over(a) in a full financial year and (b) in respect of reimbursement for the three months prior to the judgment; and if he will ensure that this cost is not met from existing NHS budgets. [38970]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe overall cost of equalising the qualifying age for exemption from prescription charges for men and women at 60 is estimated to be around £4.5 million in a full financial year.
118WRefunds of prescription charges paid in the three months prior to the judgment are unlikely to amount to more than £1.5 million.
Decisions on funding are being taken within the context of the public expenditure survey.